Annals of Agriculture and Environment

STUDY REGARDING HEAT SHOCK, DRASTICALLY REDUCED THE WHEAT YIELD IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abdul Qadir

Productivity Enhancement of Sugarcane, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2609-7731

Muhammad Sajjad Saeed

Vegetale Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute Faisalabad, Pakistan

Muhammad Ussama Yasin

Plant Pathology Research Institute

Zulfiqar Ali

Department of Plant Pathology, Balochistan Agriculture College, Quetta, Pakistan

Afroz Rais

Department of Botany, Sardar Bahadur Khan University, Quetta, Pakistan

Muhammad Usman Shahid

Department of Plant Pathology, Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture Univesity, Rawalpindi, Pakistan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63611/aae.01.01.014

Keywords: Climate, Food, Security, Sustainability, Heat shock, Stress, Weather, Yield

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Abstract

The climate change is triggering to international food security issues globally. This global issue is posing a threat to the sustainability of agriculture and impacting both human and animal life. Recent heat shocks in the year (2022) in Pakistan have severely affected wheat production, a staple food in the country. A study examined the impact of extreme hot weather stress on wheat yield and quality in key wheat-growing areas, namely Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzafargarh, and Rajanpur. Daily weather data from reliable sources was analyzed alongside wheat grain weight per acre from 10 different locations within each district. The period from the 11th to the 18th of March exibited a continuous rise in temperature recorded as 35 ℃/18℃ which was ended up on maximum temperature of 42℃/23℃ with the minimum observed wheat yield per acre being 23 mounds in Rajanpur and the maximum being 35 mounds in Muzafargarh. Urgent action from environmental and agricultural experts is necessary to mitigate the impact of rapidly changing environmental conditions and ensure agricultural sustainability.